Ode to Dot

H is for happy -- Dot is always happy, laughing and has a smile on her face.
A is for Albert Einstein -- she has a letter from the esteemed scientist. Not one that she bought at an auction, but an actual letter that he wrote to her!
P is for prison -- where she served as a stake missionary in her younger days.
P is for piano -- she plays beautifully and has been giving lessons for years.
Y is for youngsters -- she must love them because she had nine!

M is for mission to England with her husband, Ardale.
O is for organ -- Dot's infamous playing of "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning" on the organ while the church was burning down.
T is for turtle sandbox -- it was right smack in the middle of our front lawn during my teenage years (so embarrassing).
H is for hospitality -- she welcomed everyone into her home (foster children, foreign exchange students, family friends, day-care kids, even a soccer team that she found stranded at the airport).
E is for elementary education -- her major in college and she loved teaching.
R is for roof -- of course, the perfect place to grow corn on!
'S is for shed -- the scary building in our backyard that she raised guinea pigs in (I must admit that I have never stepped foot in it).

D is for doctors -- she hates them and NEVER goes to them (which is quite ironic because now she works for them!).
A is for albatross -- while other mothers were reading Dr. Seuss to their kids, Dot was reading Samuel Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" to us.
Y is for yelling -- I don't ever remember her yelling. She was one of those old-school mothers who could put the fear of God in you with just one look.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you! You're the best!